This is this easiest and safest way on how to get a sim card in Vietnam. We traveled through Vietnam for three months and never had any issues staying connected.
We couldn't believe was how cheap it was for data in Vietnam!
Here is our step by step guide on how and where we got our Vietnam sim cards.
How to get a Sim Card In Vietnam
1. Make sure you have an UNLOCKED phone
For your mobile phone to work with a Vietnam sim card, it must be “unlocked”. This means your phone can be used by any mobile carrier.
Ensure you contact your cell phone provider before departing for Vietnam.
The process of unlocking your phone differs by carrier but is usually a very simple process.
2. Get a Vietnam tourist sim upon arrival at airport
When you arrive at any major airport in Vietnam there will be booths selling tourist sim cards BEFORE you reach customs and immigration. We chose Mobifone as we heard they had reliable internet. It ended up being a great choice as they have great coverage and fast internet.
Before coming to Vietnam we had read that you'll need to present your passport so they can register the sim card in your name. This was NOT the case in our situation.
We handed the lady $10.00 US (230,000 dong). She installed the sim card for us which included unlimited data for 30 days! You do pay a higher price at the airport but at least you know what you're getting.
*Note the unlimited data caps out at 4 GB in a 24 hour period. The only way you will ever go over 4GB in 24 hours is by streaming multiple movies per day.
3. Top up as needed
If you're staying in Vietnam for longer than 30 days you can easily renew your tourist sim card for another month. Simply visit any Mobifone store. There are many locations across Vietnam in every city and town.
Let them know you would like the 4GB PER DAY unlimited data plan. If the clerk does not speak English, make sure to have your Google Translate app open and ready.
On our visit, they did NOT ask for our passports or any identification. It still might be a good idea to bring them just in case to avoid making multiple trips.
The total cost should be $3.41 US (80,000 Dong) for the MONTH as of January 2019.
I'm still literally in shock that an unlimited mobile data plan in Vietnam is the price of a Big Mac! Vietnam makes it affordable, easy and simple to stay connected.
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Golden Man
Tuesday 16th of April 2019
Viettel is the biggest network provider. Vinaphone, mobifone follow. topup can be done by buy online to feed automatically.